SAN FRANCISCO  Yonder Alonso hadn’t even seen the lineup card yet. At the time, then, he was talking conceptually. Philosophically.

“I hate days off, hate ‘em” said the Padres first baseman a couple hours before Sunday’s game against the San Francisco Giants. “I don’t want a day off. There is no need at all – and I hope you write this down – there is no need at all for me to take a day off. Zero need.”

Alonso got the day off.

Actually, Sunday constituted only a day out of the starting lineup for Alonso, just the second time in a season three weeks old.

Jesus Guzman got the assignment at first, batting cleanup, a fact that Alonso didn’t learn until a later pass through the hallway with the lineup posted.

“I want to play every single day,” he said, notingg that his offseason training is geared to building the durability to play all 162 regular-season games. “If I’m ready to hit, if you can use me, there’s no reason for me not to be in the lineup. I really do think (manager Bud Black) believes in me, trusts me to play every day, and he knows I’m not a guy who likes taking days off.

“Not in college. Not in Little League. Ever.”

Alonso is a left-handed hitter and the Giants were starting a lefty pitcher, Barry Zito, but Black said Alonso is not subject to the whole lefty-righty factor used to determine which players play when. Simply, Black felt Alonso was due a “breather.”

Fact is, the previous few gamers had been difficult for Alonso, who had gone 0-for-11 in one game at Dodger Stadium and two at AT&T. Most uncharacteristically, he’d struck out in six of seven at bats, seeming to go a little bigger in his swing than the crisp cut that produced line drive after line drive in an eight-game hitting streak.

Alonso, who doesn’t bristle often, bristled a bit at the hint of a suggestion that he was suddenly trying hard in the absence of suspended slugger Carlos Quentin. He noted that he stayed within himself while the Padres were without Chase Headley the first two-plus weeks of the season, going 13-for-31.

“No excuses, by any means, but sometimes the other guys are tough,” said Alonso. “We’ve faced a stretch of three or four guys who’ve thrown the ball well. That’s the reality of it. We don’t need to sit here and think, “Oh my god, he’s really, really, really trying hard.

“It’s gonna happen throughout the year. You’re gonna go through a tough stretch of pitchers, tough stretch of games. We can sit here and analyze all we want. Sometimes, things just don’t go our way.”

Alonso wound up being hurried into action in the sixth inning after Kyle Blanks banged into the left-field wall making a catch, departing with an apparent shoulder injury, with Guzman going to left.

Denorfia ablaze

More and more, outfielder Chris Denorfia is quietly making a strong case for also being exempt from the lefty-righty platooning, especially with Cameron Maybin on the disabled list and the Padres able to put both Denorfia and Will Venable in the same lineup. That was the case again Sunday.

Denorfia’s .375 average through 48 at bats included a .381 mark against lefties, but also .370 versus right-handers, .316 at home and a whopping .414 on the road.

In fact, among active players Denorfia’s .364 average at AT&T Park tied him with Ryan Braun of Milwaukee for the second-best batting average by a visitor to the San Francisco ballpark. (The leader is Chris Iannetta, now with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, at .371.)

“It’s a couple things, probably,” said Denorfia. “No. 1, I’ve seen these (Giants) pitchers a lot. They’ve had a very consistent rotation for years, ever since I’ve been here, even back to Triple-A. Seeing some guys helps me out, definitely.

“Also, I don’t really hit the ball in the air too much. That plays well here because it’s a big ballpark.”

Etc.

• Black said he remains confident left-handed starter pitcher Clayton Richard will be able to pitch Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Richard was scratched from his Saturday night outing due to flu-like illness, but showed improvement Sunday.

Still undetermined, said Black, is how the rotation will set up after the off day Thursday between the Brewers and Giants series at Petco Park.

• Carlos Quentin, who will be eligible to play Tuesday's game, has been playing with Single-A Lake Elsinore and working out at Petco Park while serving his eight-game suspension for the fight with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke.